Steeves' Great Feast: Bruins Win Behind Steeves' Big Game, Score Another Victory Over Islanders

ELMONT, NY -- The Boston Bruins (14-11-0), backed by two individual elite performances, beat the New York Islanders (13-9-2) 3-1 on Wednesday night in UBS Arena.

The win clinched a season-sweep of the Islanders, with Boston winning the two previous matchups 5-2 in TD Garden and a 4-3 shootout in New York just three weeks ago.

The key for Boston is similar to that of most of their victories this season: elite goaltending and potent counterattacking, utilizing a strong forecheck.

What differed tonight from the standard was who scored the goals. Instead of the usual Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak attack, the depth took center stage.

Alex Steeves became the story of the night, scoring his first-career multi-goal game, including a shorthanded dagger in the third period. Tanner Jeannot scored the game-winning goal in the second period.

As for in net, there aren't enough words to describe the level of play and consistency coming from Jeremy Swayman these days. Swayman stood on his head, as per usual these days, turning aside 44 shots, a new career high.

Ilya Sorokin made 11 saves in the defeat for the Islanders.

First Period:

Usually, a team's first game back from a road trip out west leads to a notably sluggish start, with teams struggling to find their footing.

That seemed to affect Boston, but only very briefly. Still, in that early, sluggish start, Boston fell behind.

Matej Blümel turned the puck over, and it wound up in the back of the Bruins' net. Some spectacular passing, and Mathew Barzal was all alone on the back door. He then deked around Jeremy Swayman, neatly tucking the puck into the near post.

Blümel, as it turned out, was injured on the play and did not return.

Right there, just 4:41 into the game, it felt as if things could go sideways. No shots on goal, a deficit, and down to 11 forwards that soon.

Less than two minutes late, Alex Steeves tied the game.

Steeves' game fits so well in the bottom six, and this goal proved it. He's able to work hard on the initial forecheck with Mikey Eyssimont and Sean Kuraly, then positions himself in front.

Once there, he outmuscled the defender (Adam Boqvist) and stuffed home a momentum-changing goal.

That goal settled Boston right into the game, for the rest of the first period, things quieted down. Both teams traded a man advantage, with neither side generating much in the way of quality looks.

The one New York chance that almost went came very late in the period, with Simon Holmstrom wiring a shot through Swayman and trickling through the blue paint. Then came Hampus Lindholm, saving a goal and keeping the game tied.

Second Period:

Tied at one, Boston knew they needed the next goal, and it didn't take very long at all. In fact, it took all of 43 seconds of the second period for Boston to find the game's decisive goal.

Tanner Jeannot sniped it home with ease. The play is made by Long Island's favorite player Nikita Zadorov, who steps in and threw the puck to the middle. It eventually found Jeannot's stick, and he picked his spot.

Three weeks ago, Zadorov went after Islanders' rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer, then chirped the entire Islanders' fan base postgame on Instagram.

New York didn't forget, booing the defender every time he touched the puck, but he got the last laugh.

Boston efficiently killed off two more penalties in the period after that, with Steeves' addition to the kill proving wise.

Despite the shots reading 22-11 New York at the end of the second, Boston took home a 2-1 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.

Third Period:

Leading by just one goal, the Bruins expected an Islanders' swarm to try and tie the game in the third period.

A swarm indeed came hurtling at Boston, but Swayman stood tall. Kyle Palmieri had a glorious one-timer, but Swayman kicked out his pad to make the save.

Just before the midway point of the third, Morgan Geekie took a tripping penalty that gave the Islanders' a big opportunity to score the tying goal.

Instead, Steeves struck shorthanded.

Much to the agony of the Toronto Maple Leafs, former Leafs Steeves and Fraser Minten linked up for a gorgeous shorthanded goal.

Schaefer, New York's phenom, coughed up the puck, gifting Boston the two-on-one.

Steeves and Minten showed excellent chemistry, executing a mini give-and-go on the break chance, finishing with an absolute blast of a one-timer, giving Sorokin no chance at all.

From there, it became elementary. With Swayman locked in, it did not matter what the Islanders threw at the net. Swayman became a brick wall.

The clock ran out, and with it, Boston gets to return home happy and ready for Thanksgiving. Then, it's right back to business. The puck drops Friday afternoon at 1 o'clock for a Black Friday matchup against the New York Rangers.